Koua Vang and city don't reach settlement on Occupy Madison camp

The city cited Vang in the spring for allowing homeless members of Occupy Madison to camp on vacant land he owns in the 3600 block of Portage Road. The city zoning codes don't allow camping, but Vang let about 20 Occupy members camp out there while they waited for the county's legal campgrounds to open up.

The potential fines are steep: A first offense is $177, a second is $303, a third is $366, and each day after that is also $366. Since the city argues Vang was out of compliance from March 18 to April 2, that means he could be fined $5,604.

Vang says the city offered to dismiss the fines, provided he agree not to let anyone camp on his property for a year. "If nothing happened, they would ask the court to dismiss," Vang says. "If it happened again, I'd agree to pay $4,000 without a trial."

But Vang says, "I just couldn't take it." He adds, "If it's wintertime and they have no place to go, what can you do? As a human being I have no other choice."